On Tuesday 17 Jul 2007 11:56 pm, Thaths wrote: > > The Hindu being some homogenous jelly like substance? > > This whole notion of Hinduism is rather recent isn't it? Local cultures, > > all seized somehow under one large umbrella without consent. This > > assumption of homogeneity is almost disturbing. > > What? You don't mean the upper castes in your part of India don't go > on pilgrimages to Badrinath? What do you mean your neighbors are > tribals who worship nature?! What do you mean your housemaid worships > the street corner mariamman!?
There - I think this exchange makes my point. I suggested that a narrative be written down. Such narratives written down by a large number of people from various backgrounds would do more to conclusively trash or confirm theories of homogeneity than arguments about my opinion or anyone else's opinion on the issue. There is a vicious argument going on with people taking sides, or attributing sides to others. Such arguments can be settled once for all by painstanking documentation. This thread was started as a quest for such documentation. In my view it does not exist in any meaningful way. I have been searching for years and haven't come across anything worthwhile written by all those intelligent Indians, who like to talk and argue a lot but do little to actually document their local microsocial environment either as stories, autobiographies or family histories or genealogies. If you write, you can compare. No documentation of family practices, habits, vocations, festivals, quirks, cuisine, superstitions, home remedies, likes and dislikes, biases. Nothing. Just pure argument based on differences in personal viewpoints But I don't see it happening soon. I see only continuing vicious arguments based on opinions. That, ironically, is the Hindu way. It describes the homogenous, "intelligent" Hindu better than anything else. shiv
